Baby Beauchamp-Knight
by m-is-for-MollyMansfieldMealing
Summary: Sequel to "The ED go down under!"- you don't have to read that first but I will be referring to it throughout this fic :D This follows the lives of the ED staff after their return from Australia- with a particular focus on Connie and her pregnancy :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello lovely people! Sorry this has taken me so long- I've been distracted by various other fics and the fact I've now started revising for my GCSE's which are fast approaching. This means I haven't the foggiest when I'm going to be able to update this, so sorry about that xD**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy and reviews would be most welcomed- maybe what you'd like to see happen at some point? -Sophie x**

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It was the morning after the night before, barely a few months into 2015, and Cal's head was already pounding with that horrific hung-over feeling. It was as if his heart had taken lodgings within his brain, and was thumping ten times louder, _purely_ just to annoy its landlord. He groaned and put a hand to his head, shielding his eyes from the morning sun as it streamed in through the open window he'd forgotten to shut last night.

The grey bed sheets were crumpled as he threw them from his body, only to realise there wasn't a scrap of clothing on him. After gingerly sitting up, he leant down and picked up his shirt and jeans from last night, before pulling them on with as little movement as he possibly could. Then, once he was suitably clothed, Cal made his way downstairs, running a hand through his tousled hair as he turned the corner into the kitchen. Ethan was sat at the table, hands round a steaming mug of coffee, glasses perched on his nose as his eyes ran backwards and forth over the day's newspaper headlines.

"Morning nibbles." Cal muttered, stifling a yawn as he boiled the kettle again and poured the water into an empty cup. Ethan just raised an eyebrow.

"Are you still half drunk?" He asked as his brother looked down at the cup and rolled his eyes, before tipping the contents down the sink.

"No, I'm not." He sighed, placing a spoonful of dried coffee granules into his cup and trying again with the water. "Unfortunately." He added, under his breath. "God, I can't even remember why I was drinking."

"You're kidding me." Ethan said, a hint of disbelief entering his voice. "Seriously."

"Was I celebrating?"

"Yes!" The bespectacled registrar exclaimed pointedly. "Your girlfriend is pregnant and I'm engaged, remember?! It was our joint celebration party!"

"Oh shit, yeah!" Cal realised, putting a hand over his mouth. "Where is she now, Connie? I can't remember anything from Rita, Lily and Lofty doing the karaoke to Anaconda by that singer with the big butt…"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Good God Cal. I hope your fathering skills are going to be better than your memory. She drove home to see to Grace and the nanny, seeing as she couldn't drink. You stayed however, and versed Big Mac at downing the shots by the bar. If I recall correctly, you stopped at 8."

"Well, at least she's going to be feeling alright this morning." He mumbled, sipping his coffee, and jumping as the scalding hot liquid touched his lips.

…

"Grace, darling, go ask Iveta, mummy's busy." Connie called from her en-suite bathroom. She had her head over the toilet bowl, and her voice was distorted as it hit the porcelain and bounced back towards the door, where her daughter stood on the other side.

"But I want _you_ to do it! Iveta pulls my hair too hard and it hurts. And the plait is never straight." She wailed, just as another wave of nausea hit her mother and she threw up into the toilet again, her stomach heaving and forehead sweating.

"Tell her to do it right then!" Connie called, becoming increasingly exasperated. They'd been in those same positions for at least 20 minutes, and she was quite frankly, getting sick of it, if you pardon the pun.

"But she doesn't _listen_!" Grace insisted, voice becoming more and more high pitched. Connie wiped her mouth, then, feeling as if she were over the worst of it, stood, clutching the edge of her stone bath for support. She straightened up and checked herself in the mirror.

The woman had run straight from bed as soon as she awoke that morning, and had stayed there since. Her hair was knotted and unruly, with curls and waves intertwining to create a bird's nest sort of look. Her face was pale and eyes dark which was due to lack of sleep, which was due to the tiny human life growing inside her. Without really thinking about it, she found herself placing a tentative hand over her stomach, feeling the heat of her skin below her nightclothes. She let it fall and took a deep breath as Grace called again.

"Mummy I need to go in 5 minutes, please come do my hair?"

Connie opened the door to find her daughter in her uniform, hair straight and a bobble in her hand. The girl crinkled her nose and took a step back, peering into the bathroom behind the looming figure that stood in front of her.

"Ew, what's that icky smell?" She said in disgust, pulling her sleeve over her nose and Connie's cheeks reddened as she shut the door.

"I must have caught something at work. Come on, I'll quickly do your hair." She moved towards her but Grace shook her head and walked towards the door.

"It smells disgusting in here. I'll get Iveta to do it." She sighed, pulling the door shut behind her and leaving Connie in silence, hands by her sides and her eyes on the floor.

"Charming." She muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and making her way towards her wardrobe, until her stomach did a double flip and she clapped a hand to her mouth once more, making a dash for the bathroom and slamming the door firmly shut behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2 guys!**

**I've missed updating on sundays so I think this story will be updated once a week from now on- just like "The ED go down under!". Thank you for the lovely reviews- as I was saying to IsabellaForever over PM, I'm hoping to play around with Connie's hormones in this fic, so you all have that to look forward to xD**

**Reviews would be lovely and I hope you enjoy this update! -Sophie x**

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For the first time in her life, Connie Beauchamp was late to work. It had been a good 8 years since she last experienced the joys of morning sickness, and she still wasn't used to it appearing whenever it felt like it. During her rushed drive to the ED that morning, she had to stop twice to throw up at the side of the road, and once in a service station bathroom (the road was cleaner).

When she eventually reached the hospital car park, the woman got out of her car and shut the door before opening up her boot to retrieve her bags. Just as she went to pick them up however, someone appeared beside her and lifted them instead.

"Cal, for goodness sakes, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Connie exclaimed, shutting the boot and locking the car. He just grinned at her and looked towards the sliding doors that lead into reception.

"Well we're in the right place so…" He trailed off as Connie rolled her eyes and began to walk briskly towards the looming building ahead of them.

"Why're you so late anyway? I thought the Ice Queen was always early, not the opposite." Cal puffed, trying to keep up with his girlfriend. For a woman in heels, she couldn't half move.

"I had a visit from Mr Morning Sickness this morning." She muttered, tucking her hair behind her ears, "He didn't seem to want to leave."

"Awh. Are you ok now?" Cal asked slightly awkwardly, unsure of what he could do to help. Connie just sighed.

"When I had Grace, it was never just morning sickness, it was all day sickness, so who knows- this time around, things might hopefully be different. Or most likely worse, knowing me."

"Forever the optimist." Cal grinned as they got to the doors leading to reception. They opened, and the couple entered. The doctor walked the clinical lead to her office, then went to change into his scrubs, ready for the day to begin. Connie unpacked her things then followed in his footsteps, only branching off to go to the female staff showers instead.

She locked herself in a cubicle and hung her clothes on the door before turning on the shower. The woman let the hot water trickle down her body as she shampooed her hair, and lathered her skin in soap in a bid to rid herself of the smell of sick.

Once she felt cleaner, Connie flicked the shower off and dried herself before pulling on her scrubs. After a quick session with the hairdryer and straighteners, and a speed date with some toothpaste, she was finally good to go, only an hour and a half later than usual.

…

By lunch, the flow of patients had dwindled from a large wave to a small trickle, and the staff took complete advantage of this lull in active work. Zoe and Max disappeared upstairs to their little cupboard, Ethan and Lily sat and had their break together, sharing a large bag of cheesy Doritos, and Connie and Cal sat together on the sofa in her office.

"Been sick since you came in?" He asked, stroking her hair as she leant against him.

"No. Thank god for small mercies." She mumbled, stifling a yawn. "It was awful when I had Grace."

"Did you carry on working?"

Connie paused, as small smile spreading across her face as she thought back.

"Of course I did, a small thing like morning sickness wasn't going to stop Connie Beauchamp. No, I stayed on Darwin, though I didn't do any x-rays or scene attendances. I carried on with my rounds though, diagnosing here, bit of surgery there… I actually went into labour in surgery." She added, and Cal spluttered the tea he was drinking.

"What, seriously?" He exclaimed, and Connie laughed slightly.

"Seriously. It was a pretty urgent operation though, so I grit my teeth until he was in the all clear. It was then someone noticed the wet patch on the floor where I was stood. I remember it like it was yesterday. "Will someone get that saline cleaned up?!" One of the other surgeons had shouted, I think he was a little stressed about the op. I just took off my apron and gloves, the pinnacle of calmness, and replied "That's not saline, my waters just broke." I was rushed to a ward pretty sharpish after that, then Grace was born."

Cal was impressed.

"You are a wonder woman, you know that?"

Connie just scoffed and sat up. "Of course I do. Well I need to go see to Mr Blakes in cubicle 3, so shut the door on your way out will you?"

She stood and Cal did the same.

"I've got to go discharge Mrs Williams in cubicle 7, the old woman with the obsession with ears I was telling you about?"

Connie nodded and opened the door, holding it until he left her office, then she let it fall shut.

"We don't get many patients with ear obsessions." She smiled knowingly. "Have fun, don't get too close or she might chop yours off."

Cal's eyes just widened as Connie chuckled to herself, and opened the curtain to cubicle 3.


	3. Chapter 3

**Updateee!**

**Elsa- I think you read my mind- I was just editing it when you reviewed xD **

**I hope you all enjoy and reviews are welcomed as per usual :) -Sophie x**

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It was time to clock off for the day staff in the ED, and they all walked out together in a large group, with the vast majority making their way towards the dimly lit pub on the other side of the road. For once the sun was still shining, with the dark evenings fading into sunlit spring ones with each passing day. Connie breathed in the cool fresh air through her nose, and let her eyes flutter shut, enjoying the still calmness that blanketed the evening.

"What are you doing when you get home?" Cal asked, taking the keys from her hand and opening the car. She opened her eyes again and climbed in, shutting the door behind her and placing her handbag in the foot well behind the driver's seat. Cal climbed in next to her.

"Probably finishing off these reports from Guy. I might have enough time to play with Grace but that depends."

"How does she feel about this whole me and the pregnancy thing?" Her eyes slowly moved downwards until they reached her clasped hands, and his mouth opened slightly.

"Connie…" He said, realising why she was so quiet. "You said you'd tell her as soon as we got back from Australia! That was 3 months ago!"

"I know I know, but you don't know her like I do." She sighed, sitting back and placing her hands on the steering wheel. "She'll flip, and probably never speak to me again."

"She can't be that bad-" He stopped when she shot him a glance loaded with warning.

"Once I didn't tell her that her favourite nanny had resigned, and she didn't speak to me for a solid 4 months. Now you try tell me that she can't be "that bad". Go on, I dare you."

Cal raised his eyes and pulled a face. "Well you're going to have to tell her at some point, the longer you leave it the worse she'll react."

"She's going to react bad enough now." Connie sighed, checking the time to see she was running late.

"I've got to get home. Do you want a lift or are you going with Ethan?"

"I'll catch Ethan. Lily's probably going to be staying over, so I'll more than likely camp out on my XBOX or something."

"Or you could study for your Registrar promotion exam in June?" Connie suggested, and he raised an eyebrow.

"How about no."

"Cal…" She began, but he cut her off, speaking over her loudly.

"But of course, if you'd told your daughter about us then I could have stayed and studied with you..."

Connie reacted to this with a shove on his arm as he quickly opened the passenger door and got out.

"Go play shooting games with your little cronies. Leave my daughter to me, ok?"

"Yes ma'am!" He grinned and saluted as she rolled her eyes and reached over to shut his door before starting up the car and driving off, watching in her mirror as he walked over to where Ethan and Lily emerged from the ED.

…

"Grace darling I'm home!" Connie called, shutting the door behind her and locking it before hanging her coat up on the coat rack. A dull thumping of feet got progressively louder until a small figure appeared at the top of the stairs, long brown plait over her left shoulder.

"You're late." Grace said, voice expressionless. "Again."

"Sorry mother." Connie muttered, slipping her heels from her feet and wriggling her toes. "Did you have a nice day at school?"

"No. Billy kept pulling my plait again in maths, and then Miss Moses told me off for turning round when I told him to stop. I lost my playtime because of it, it's not fair."

"Shall I call the school?" The woman asked, brow creasing. "This has happened before hasn't it?"

"Iveta's already done it, the office shut half an hour ago. Though if you'd been on time, _you_ could have done it." She crossed her arms and looked sulkily down at her mother before running to her room. Connie just let her head fall back and groaned.

"Grace I couldn't help it!" She shouted, but a loud crash silenced her as the little girl slammed the door to her room, knocking a picture from the wall as she did so.

"It's at times like these that I wish I could drink." She muttered, ascending the stairs and going along the landing to her daughter's room, and picking up the oil painting from the floor and placing it back on its screw. Then she knocked on the door gently, only to be met by a stony silence.

"Grace, it was half an hour!" She despaired.

"Yeah, half an hour you could have spent with me!" The girl screamed back, obviously upset. Connie tried the handle, only to find it was jammed by something on the other side.

"Open the door darling."

"Make me." She hissed back, her voice sounded closer, as if she were stood millimetres from the wooden barrier.

"Don't talk to me in that tone of voice young lady!" Connie exclaimed, "I'm your mother, not something the cat dragged in."

"Yeah, well, you don't act like a mother." Grace spat, and the words hit the clinical lead like a slap to the face. She stood, stunned into silence at how malicious her little girl was, and blinked a few times before collecting herself together, now fuming.

"You will stay in your room until you are fit to apologise Grace Beauchamp, and don't even think about calling Grandma because she's gone to America to see your father. She won't be there to rescue you this time. Nice try." She heard a stroppy sigh from behind the door, and the sound of a phone being thrown onto her bed.

She was becoming more and more like a teenager every day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Update! Been a little busy this morning, sorry it's so late Elsa xD Hope you all enjoy and please review if you get the chance! -Sophie x**

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Meanwhile, Cal was sat in his room, headphones over his ears, eyes glued to his TV screen as he shot another fictional character dead.

Ever since their return from down under, Ethan and Lily had been spending more time together at the flat. Cal could feel himself slowly being pushed out, and felt very uncomfortable whenever they were there together, as most of the time, Lily spent the night. The registrar was hoping for Connie to tell her daughter about him soon, so he could escape his brother and girlfriend for his girlfriend instead. He paused the game and picked up his phone to check the notifications. There was a text from Connie and he opened it at lightning speed.

"Grace is in a mood with me because I was late. Will try tell her when she calms down, though that could be weeks. Sorry. Con x"

He sighed and sent a quick reply.

"Don't worry about it, just sick of being here with the love birds, that's all. C x"

"Why don't you come over? She's been banished to her room for the time being, and the nanny went home about 10 minutes ago… Con x"

The doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Are you suggesting something there Mrs Beauchamp?... C x"

"Come and find out, Dr Knight… Con x"

Cal grinned.

"Give me 10 minutes. C x"

...

There was a loud, solitary knock that ran throughout the house. Connie jumped up from her seat on the sofa to open it, a smile already forming on her lips. Cal stood on the other side of the, hunched up against the wind that was beginning to pick up.

"Worried you'll mess your hair up?" She asked, smirking when he rolled his eyes and slipped past her.

"Hilarious." He kicked his shoes off and followed his girlfriend through to her living room. He had been there only once before, and held a fond memory for her plush, cream arm chair…

"I've just opened a bottle, do you want some?" Connie asked, holding up a deep red bottle. "Non-alcoholic though I'm afraid." Cal nodded and collapsed onto the sofa next her, before being handed a large glass of grape juice.

"On a scale of 1-10, how bad is it being at home with those two?" Connie asked, sitting back and resting her drink gently on her knee, one finger rubbing the cool glass. Cal just groaned.

"Honestly, like, a hundred. All they ever do is sit and talk about this bloody wedding, and then they end up curled up together on the sofa or, even worse, Ethan's room." He shuddered. "I've had to invest in a pair of noise cancelling headphones."

Connie laughed, the red liquid swaying to and fro in her glass. "Lucky boy."

"God it's awful. The sooner you tell Grace the better."

"Tell me what?" The couple jumped as her head appeared round the door. Connie spilt half her glass down her white shirt, and was now desperately trying to mop it up.

"I told you to stay in your room until you were ready to apologise, not to come snooping around like that!" Connie hissed, pulling another handful of tissues from the box on the table next to her. "Have you come to say sorry?"

Grace just stared at Cal, eyes wide.

"Who are you?" She asked, watching the doctor run a hand through his hair.

"Grace." Connie warned her, "If you haven't come to say sorry then go back to your room."

"But I want to know what you're not telling me!" She whined. "I'm not saying sorry because there's nothing to say sorry for."

"Then go back to your room!" Connie shouted, her eyes becoming piercing as she stood. "I'm not having this behaviour young lady."

"Connie-" Cal started but she waved him away, eyes still on her daughter.

"Apologise or go. It's your choice." Her voice was harsh, and Grace's eyes filled with angry tears as she slammed the door shut, before thumping up the stairs. Connie sat down again and sighed, rubbing her head.

"You need to keep your stress levels as low as you can, remember." Cal said gently, putting his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder, hands still dabbing at her damp shirt.

"I know, but it's just so hard. Grace's becoming a nightmare, work's a nightmare, I feel drained all the time-" She stopped and bit her lip as her eyes began to water.

"Hey," Cal whispered, rubbing her arm. "It's ok. Once you tell her, she'll come round to things. And Zoe said she'll happily share your duties, remember?"

Connie nodded, though a lone tear spilled down her cheek.

"These baby hormones aren't helping either." She muttered, sniffing and wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. "Just 15 minutes ago I could have had you right here, now all I want to do is cry."

"Personally prefer the first option, but what use am I if I'm not a shoulder to cry on, hmm?" He smiled and kissed the top of her head as she sobbed softly, his shirt becoming increasingly soaked.

"It's ok." He whispered, resting his chin on her head. "It's ok."


	5. Chapter 5

**Update! This is quite a short one but if I had added it to the next chapter then it would have been too long, so here you are! Brownie points if you can tell who my inspiration was for Grace's nanny (that actually appears in a few of my fics- I hadn't realised until earlier xD) :D Reviews would be lovely if you can and I hope you all enjoy! -Sophie x**

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Connie awoke the following morning to a pounding headache, achy neck and of course- nausea. Once she got her bearings, she realised she was laid horizontally on the sofa with a blanket over her, and a pillow beneath her head. She groaned and stretched, reaching over to the coffee table to retrieve her phone. When she opened the case, a note fell onto her stomach, and she picked it up wearily.

"Connie,

You drifted off on me last night, so I just laid you down where you were. There's a glass of water and two paracetamol tablets on the table for you, and I left a bowl on the floor in case you didn't make it upstairs to the toilet.

Back to the love bird's nest I go! I think my headphones may be needed…

Cal x"

Connie smiled as she put the note down and checked the time- it was 6:45, and time to get up. She pushed her body up slowly until she lay propped on her arms. Then she swung her legs over the edge of the sofa, worked through the headache, and swallowed the painkillers dry. Once she managed to get to her feet, she shuffled upstairs to the bathroom for a shower, only throwing up once during the process. Once she was dry and dressed, she heard Iveta arrive and go to wake up Grace.

Half an hour later and the girl

was sat at the breakfast bar, nibbling at her toast. Connie stood against the sink with her arms crossed, both in a stony silence.

"Do you want to apologise for your behaviour yet?" Connie asked quietly, and Grace just paused to glare at her before going back to her food.

"That wasn't an answer." Her mother said dryly.

"No then." She muttered, look dark and brooding before she polished off the rest of her toast and stood up, just as Iveta came rushing into the kitchen, looking about wildly.

"Gracie, your water bottle, where is it?" Her eyes darted about the kitchen frantically, and Connie sighed.

"I'll get it, you go sort her book bag out." She made a move towards one of the top cupboards, but the nanny darted forwards and opened it before she had the chance.

"No no Mrs Beauchamp, I must do it- baby needs rest and no stress, yes?" Her Lithuanian accent was very thick and she grinned when she realised the words rhymed. Connie put a quick finger to her lips to remind her she hadn't told her daughter yet. Iveta realised and nodded enthusiastically, copying Connie's movements with her finger.

"Mmm. No stress…" She said quietly, shooting Grace a quick icy stare. "Try telling people that and see how far you get."

"Ah Mrs Beauchamp, she will come round!" She whispered, picking up the pink water bottle and closing the cupboard door. "When you tell her, I'm sure she'll love the idea, yes?"

Connie hesitated. She was pretty sure the girl _wouldn't_ love the idea, but she agreed anyway.

"I suppose." She smiled slightly and Iveta clapped her hands together, before turning back to Grace who was watching them curiously. "Now Gracie, shoes and coat! Chop chop!"

"Bye darling-" Connie called as she stormed out of the room and into the hallway, deliberately ignoring the woman's words. She just sighed and made herself a coffee, sitting at the table and staring out of the window.

It was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys,**

**I have my first GCSE exam in two days (Lord help me) which means I'm going to have a good two months of exams and revision. This also means that I probably won't have enough time for writing for a while.**

**So, this is just a quick message to say updates on this story won't be as regular as they usually are, if at all- if I get a spare two minutes then I will try writing but I don't imagine it will be updated 'til around the middle of June- my last exam is the 16th of June but I still have to stay in school after that apparently ;-;**

**So I hope you have a great couple of months without me around (I'll still be on PM I imagine so if you fancy a chat then I'll be there xD) and I'll see you soon!**

**-Sophie x**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back to updating again! I have one exam left and that's on Tuesday, so I'm giving myself a bit of a break before I revise for that one xD**

**I'd re-read the last chapter in case you've forgotten what's going on, but other than that I hope you enjoy and reviews would be lovely! -Sophie x**

* * *

The beginning of the day's shift was tough; a school science experiment gone wrong brought in 17 serious casualties, a multi-car pile-up brought in 4 critical patients and to top all that off, they were understaffed.

Again.

"Connie we really need a locum-" Tess said uneasily, joining the woman as she strode past her. Connie just carried on reading her patient's notes, not even looking away to answer.

"Ask Zoe." She muttered, reaching cubicle one and pulling the curtain back.

"Miss Harriet Fields, is it? You must be the teacher from the school accident." A woman lay on the bed, face burnt and blonde hair dirty with smoke. The lines on her face were made prominent by the black dust given off in the explosion, and she nodded tiredly.

"That's me." She smiled, wincing as the burns on her left cheek stung.

"Good. Well, I'm Mrs Beauchamp and I'm going to be treating you. Does anywhere else hurt apart from your face?"

She coughed, and her chest rattled. "My lungs feel like they're on fire." She croaked, smiling gratefully when Tess handed her a cup of water.

"Right, is that all?" Connie pressed.

"Yes, I think so." She jumped when the sound of Connie's phone began to ring in her pocket. The clinical lead slipped it out and checked the caller ID- "St Mary's", Grace's school.

"Please excuse me, I have to take this." She muttered, lifting the phone to her ear and moving towards the nurses station, though she was still well in earshot of the teacher.

"Fighting?!" Connie exclaimed, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open. "Can you put her on the phone please Miss Jennings, thank you."

She paused then began to speak again, her face hardening.

"Now you listen here young lady, how dare you go round fighting like a tomboy, getting into trouble like that. I have to leave work and come collect you now, do you realise what an inconvenience that it?! No, of course you don't, all you care about is yourself." She hissed, her hand now grasping the phone tightly.

"Who's she talking to?" Harriet asked, looking up to Tess who watched her boss with slight pang of sympathy.

"It sounds like her daughter's school…" She mused, and Harriet pulled a face.

"Does she go to All Saints? I don't think I know any Beauchamps."

"A private one I think. Shh." The nurse said quickly as Connie came back over, obviously troubled.

"I have a family emergency to deal with so I'm going to be leaving you in the capable hands of Tess until I get back. Sorry, Miss Fields."

"It's fine." She coughed again, and her face reddened with the effort. "Just don't be too hard on her."

Connie's eyebrows furrowed, and Harriet simply smiled slightly before the clinical lead turned and walked away.

The woman's sleek black Mercedes pulled up outside the school entrance, and she turned the ignition off with a heavy sigh.

"Here goes." She muttered, catching a glimpse of the head who was waiting for her in reception. She got out of her car and locked it before striding up to the doors, slinging her bag over her shoulder and smiling as she reached the elderly woman.

"Miss Jennings, I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you again." Connie shook her hand and the head laughed.

"Right back at you Mrs Beauchamp I'm afraid. Come this way, Grace's sat in my office." She led her down the very familiar route to the woman's large office. It had become Grace's second home recently, and Connie could have probably walked it blindfolded.

Miss Jenning's PA Sally said her hello's as the two entered, her gaze directed towards the girl sat in front of the large, wooden desk.

"Grace, your mother's here." Sally announced, and the girl sighed extra loudly and turned around, her face like thunder with a look that could kill.

"Come on, we need to go." Connie said quietly, looking away as she rolled her eyes and instead focusing on the deep red carpet.

"Fine." She muttered, standing slowly and lugging her bag over one shoulder. Her mother looked back up and smiled at the head teacher.

"She'll be back tomorrow with a whole other outlook, I promise."

"I hope so, we really can't have our students fighting all over the place like this. See you tomorrow Grace."

Sally called her goodbyes as they left and went to the car without speaking. Once inside and buckled up, the clinical lead looked up to her mirror to see her daughter pulling out her phone.

"I don't think so young lady." She said sharply, causing the girl to jump. Connie half turned in her seat and held out her hand expectantly. Another roll of the eyes accompanied the handover, and the woman slipped the iPhone into her handbag before starting up the engine.


	8. Chapter 8

**Updaaate! **

**Hope you guys enjoy and reviews would be lovely :D -Sophie x**

**(P.S- Didn't Connie look amazing in last night's episode?! I'm so jealous of her figure xD)**

* * *

It was a silent, solitary drive home with neither female speaking until they reached the hospital. Once Connie pulled up, she switched off the engine and turned to Grace who was sat with her arms folded, looking out the window.

"Because you've decided to act like an insolent little ragamuffin, you're stuck with me for the day." She said flatly.

"Can't Iveta come pick me up?" The girl protested but Connie just glared at her.

"No, she's busy. Now come on, I've missed too much time as it is."

Huffing, Grace got out of the car and walked into the building behind her mother, dragging her feet and looking down at the floor. She was led straight to the clinical lead's office with strict instructions not to move, then left as Connie went back out into cubicles. She headed to Harriet Fields, who was with Tess having her face patched up.

"Miss Fields, so sorry about that. Any changes since I left?"

"No, I don't think so." She smiled, before wincing at the pain.

"Alright, try stay as still as possible." Tess said quietly, working on bandaging the worst parts of her face.

"Was that your daughter who came in with you?" Harriet asked, glancing towards the door to Connie's office. The brunette nodded.

"In trouble, I'm guessing?"

"She is." Connie sighed, checking her saline and noting down her signs in her notes. "Fighting."

"Ah, we get a lot off those at All Saints. We give them counselling, but that doesn't seem to do much. A good chat usually seems to do the trick in my opinion, but the board of governors don't seem too convinced."

"Unorthodox methods aren't usually accepted, but I'd keep trying if you know it works. Excuse me, I have to go see another patient." Connie smiled and left, heading towards resus where Dixie had just arrived.

…

Grace had been sat in her mother office for an hour, and no-one had come in to check on her. She was bored out of her mind and had nothing to eat or drink, so she decided to go for a walk, despite her mother's warnings. Opening the door and peering out, she checked the coast was clear before strolling down cubicles, looking at each patient as she passed by. One was an elderly man with his arm in a sling, one was a little boy with a cut leg, and the third was Harriet Fields with the bandage across her face. Grace stopped in surprise and blinked a few times. Harriet did the same before smiling.

"Are you Mrs Beauchamp's daughter by any chance?" The kindly teacher asked, and she nodded, weary of where the conversation was leading.

"What's your name?"

"Grace." She said slowly, eyes fixed on her bandage. "What happened to your face?"

"I'm a teacher at a secondary school. We were doing a science experiment but it went a bit wrong and exploded in my face. Got a bit burnt and a bit dirty, as you can probably tell."

"Did you use a Bunsen burner?" She asked curiously, and her face lit up when the teacher nodded.

"Oh I really can't wait to use one of those when I get to secondary school. What was the experiment?"

"Well it involved boiling some calcium carbonate…" As Harriet spoke, Grace edged nearer and nearer to the chair beside her bed, until she eventually sat on it and listened to the woman speak.

"That sounds so cool." Grace breathed. "Science is great, but even better when you do cool experiments like that. All we do is make cars and let them fall down ramps in the corridors." She pulled a face and the woman laughed.

"I remember doing that. Secondary is much more fun, but it's also much more dangerous. You can't be messing around near dangerous acids and chemicals."

Grace quietened for a moment until Harriet spoke again.

"Your mother said you'd been fighting?" She prompted, and the girl sighed.

"She didn't even let me explain why. I didn't want to, but Charlie Jacobs called me a sissy mummy's girl and stole my bag, so I jumped on him to get it back. He pulled my hair so I punched him in the nose so he'd let go. Look!" She gathered her hair in her hands and ran her fingers through it from top to bottom. Many long, wavy strands were left intertwined before slowly drifting to the floor.

"He pulled it really hard. Miss Jennings blamed me for starting it, like she always does. Charlie is one of her "favourites"." She turned her nose up at the word. "It's not fair."

"Having favourites isn't fair, no. Though if I taught you, I think you'd be one of my favourites." Harriet winked at her and Grace giggled.

"Seriously though, if someone starts on you like that you should tell on them. Tell them you're going to too, strikes fear into the hearts of kids around the world that, hearing the terrible phrase "I'm telling!"." She chuckled to herself. "Quite funny really. Either that or say something really witty or sarcastic. That throws them, I know from experience. Take it from me Grace- they're a bunch of idiots that think they're better than everyone else. When you leave school, you'll never have to see them again. Just think of it that way, yeah?"

Grace thought a few minutes before nodding, a smile spreading across her face.

"I will. Thank you, Miss… Mrs… Um…" She looked up at the woman who smiled at her.

"Miss Fields. But because I'm not your teacher, call me Harriet."

"Ok- thank you Harriet!"

"You're very welcome. Oh, looks as if someone's spotted you. Is that one of your mother's friends?" She nodded towards the approaching figure, and the girl groaned.

"It's her boyfriend." She pretended to throw up as he approached them.

"Grace? I don't know why you're here but I'm 99.9% sure you shouldn't be with Miss Fields." He smiled slightly. "Come on, it's my lunch break- want to grab something to eat?"

She scowled. She didn't like the doctor very much, but on the other hand she was very, very hungry…

The girl sighed and nodded.

"Ok. As long as I get to choose." She glared up at him and he shrugged.

"Sure. Come on."

Grace stood and looked to the teacher beside her.

"And her name is Harriet because she doesn't teach me." She said flatly before walking off in the direction of the shop. Cal raised his eyebrows but Harriet just laughed.

"She's a character and a half but she's harmless enough really."

"Mmm." The doctor nodded slowly, a slight look of delirium on his face. "You keep thinking that."

"She is, once you get talking to her." She said wisely before waving. The doctor blinked a few times before going to try catch up with Grace, the woman's words echoing in his mind.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9! **

**I was feeling particularly uninspired when I wrote this so I'll apologise now if it's not my usual standard :) There's a bit of, dare I say it, Grace and Cal "banter" in this update so I hope that makes up for the terrible standard xD**

**I hope you enjoy anyway and reviews would be lovely! -Sophie x**

* * *

"Chosen what you want yet?" Cal asked, watching his girlfriend's daughter look over the items on the shelves. She frowned slightly.

"This is all boring. I want a McDonald's."

Cal laughed slightly before realising she was being deadly serious.

"Oh. Well I'm due back on shift in 15 minutes, I can't go fetch one. Choose something here." He gestured to a shelf of crisps. "All kids like cheese and onion right?"

Grace turned her nose up and crossed her arms. "Ew. Salt and vinegar."

"Good god no. Cheese and onion or beefy." Cal nodded. "Only way forwards."

"What are you two going on about?" They turned round and realised Connie had been stood behind them, listening to the whole conversation. She had her arms crossed, mirroring her daughter.

"You should be in my office." She said curtly, watching as the girl's face immediately darkened. Cal quickly jumped in, fearing another Beauchamp row.

"I'm on my lunch and spotted she was in there; thought I'd bring her to get something. That's ok right?"

Connie paused, looking from Cal to Grace and finally nodding. "I guess so. Don't be late back on shift and I want you back in my office as soon as you've eaten young lady. Here-" She pulled out her purse and took out £20 note before offering it to the doctor.

"Get her whatever she wants, just not loads of jelly sweets- they'll send her up the walls."

"No, Connie I'll get it- honest." He pushed the money away from him and smiled. "Besides, think I'm going to treat myself and get something too."

"Oh in that case I will have it back." A flicker of a grin flashed across her face as she shoved the note in her pocket. "I'm not paying for your junk food needs thank you very much. See you later." And with a flick of her hair, she left. Grace looked up at the man, slightly confused.

"Why did you do that?"

"Why did I do what?" He replied, equally confused.

"Lie. For me. To my mum." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Cal shrugged. Being honest, he was trying to prevent world war three breaking out when Connie found out she was sat with a patient rather than where she should have been.

"Didn't want to cause her any more stress." He said vaguely, picking up a large bag of Beefy ridged cut crisps and a bottle of lemonade from the fridge. "And I didn't think you needed more shouting at either really."

Grace blinked a few times.

"Oh. Um, thank you then. I guess. She's been in a weird mood for ages." The girl took a packet of salt and vinegar crisps from the shelf and grabbed a bar of Galaxy chocolate before following Cal to the till. "I think she might be having a breakdown."

The doctor was just taking a sip of his lemonade when the girl spoke, and he spluttered it everywhere.

"What?" He exclaimed, ignoring the look of disapproval from the barista as he wiped his mouth. "Grace, your mother's not having a breakdown. She has a stressful job, that's all. I really think you should talk to her."

"Why, all she'll do is wave me away or not listen at all." The girl muttered, waiting for the woman to scan her crisps before opening them. "I stopped trying."

"She might listen to you now though."

The girl considered it. "She pays attention to you. Maybe you could talk to her for me?"

Cal shook his head, handing over a note to pay for the food. "You two need to talk yourselves. Although," he paused slightly- "I could always be there too? To make sure she listens to you? Only if you want me to be of course."

Without much hesitation, the girl nodded and Cal grinned.

"How about tonight? I've got nothing on and we need to get things sorted before you go back to school tomorrow."

Grace nodded again, smiling slightly.

"Ok. Thank you Cal. I guess you're alright really."

"Why thank you." He said courteously, pretending to bow his head. She giggled before looking up at the clock.

"You know, you've only got 4 minutes to eat those crisps now?"

The doctor inwardly cursed himself. "Oops. Well, I'm gonna attempt it anyway. Come on, let's get back to your mums office sharpish otherwise I'll have no chance of eating them all."

"If you manage it I'll give you some chocolate, because I couldn't do that and I love crisps." The girl skipped ahead of him all the way to Connie's office, and he smiled.

She really was quite harmless really. Cal looked up to Harriet Field's bed as he entered cubicles, and she winked at him. He smiled and winked back before going into the office and shutting the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's today's update (that I totally didn't forget about and write in the last hour)!**

**It's short but if I included the next part it would have been way too long xD I hope you all enjoy and reviews would be nice! I need some cute names that Cal can call Connie- I currently have "beautiful" but I can't think of any more he'd call her! -Sophie x**

**P.S- To the guest (who did have a name but I forgot it- sorry) who asked about who Iveta the nanny was based on in my fics- it's the pro dancer on Strictly Come Dancing! She's called Iveta Lukosiute and she's Lithuanian! :D**

* * *

It was quarter past 1 by the time Connie got back to her office. She found Cal and her daughter both sat on the sofa, and immediately raised her eyebrow.

"I think you were due back on shift 15 minutes ago." She gave a pointed look in his direction and the doctor sighed before standing.

"Back to work I'm afraid. See you later Gracie." He put his hand up for a high five, and the girl grinned before slapping his hand.

"Sheesh, you don't know your own strength." Cal muttered before looking up to Connie. "Quick word outside?"

She faltered before nodding.

"Listen," Cal said once the door shut, "I've been chatting to her and I really think you two should talk-"

"-I'm sorry but who are you to tell me how to be a mother?" She interrupted, crossing her arms in defiance.

"I didn't mean it like that. Maybe if you sorted things out between you, you could tell her about this baby and we wouldn't have to keep it a secret anymore."

"Look, she's my daughter. I'll speak to her when I'm ready."

"No." Cal said firmly, and Connie's jaw dropped.

"No?"

"No. You'll talk to her tonight before she goes back to school tomorrow, and I will be there."

Shocked into silence, the clinical lead just stood. How dare he tell her what to do? She had a good mind to dump him, but then she caught sight of Grace through the window. She was watching them from the sofa, her face slightly crumpled and her knees to her chest, hands firmly over her ears. She had witnessed scenes like this too many times, and none of them had ever ended well.

"Fine." Connie sighed. "Meet me here after your shift. We'll go home together."

"Thank you." He smiled sweetly, kissing her quickly on the cheek before going through to reception.

"Bloody cheek of it." She muttered, opening the door and putting on a smile as she went to sit at her desk. The woman motioned for the girl to move her hands, which she did hesitantly.

"We're going to meet Cal here when he's finished working and we'll all go home and talk, ok? Get down to why you keep fighting, as long as you don't start arguing with us. Got that?"

Grace had to bite her lip. She was dying to tell her mother that it's always _you_ who starts the arguments, _you_ who never listens and _you_ who never bothers to do anything about any problems.

But she didn't. She kept quiet and simply nodded, glancing to the clock and wishing for time to go faster. At her desk, Connie wished for the opposite.

…

5pm soon came around and Cal met Connie and Grace outside the office door. He wore a casual shirt with black jeans and Connie couldn't help but smile, despite her bitter feelings towards him from earlier. Grace wore a sulk as she was forced to hold her mother's hand out into the carpark.

Once they reached her house, Connie did everything imaginable to put off the inevitable conversation she'd soon be having with her daughter. Even just the thought of mentioning the word "baby" in front of the sulky child made the woman want to throw up- and it wasn't morning sickness either. She could imagine her reaction; obviously it would be over dramatic, she'd probably ask to go live with her dad or something like she'd threatened to do last time there was any major news.

"Come on." Cal's gently coaxing voice interrupted her thoughts. She sighed before turning to face him.

"No, I feel sick. I didn't hear you come in?"

"I'm like a ninja. Silent, yet deadly." He grinned and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Connie just rolled her eyes.

"If you mean what I think you mean then I _will_ throw up." She muttered, moving to face the window again as she poured herself a glass of water.

"Putting it off just makes things worse, you know that."

"Of course I know that. Doesn't mean I take any notice of it though." A glimpse of a smile passed over her lips as she took a deep, shaky breath.

"Come on then." She said eventually, turning back around and looking into Cal's eyes. "Let's do this."

"That's the spirit beautiful." He smiled back, and kissed her for a few moments before breaking away and taking her hand, leading her through to the living room.


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter is a little longer than some off the others :) **

***anything about "David Houston" (you'll get to him) is entirely made up***

**Hope you enjoy and reviews would be lovely! -Sophie x**

* * *

Grace was curled up in her usual armchair when the two adults entered the room.

"Can you sit up please darling." Connie smiled slightly as she sat next to her boyfriend on the couch, watching her daughter as she sighed and sat up, crossing her arms.

"Now," The woman said softly, "what's been going on at school?"

"Charlie Jacobs called me names and took my bag, so I tried to get it back. He started pulling my hair so I punched him on the nose." The girl shrugged.

"You said that very light-heartedly. Did you not think of the consequences?" Her mother prompted but Grace simply rolled her eyes.

"Yeah course I did. But I thought, maybe if I fought back for once then he'd leave me alone. I hope it works, he's annoying and smells of egg _all the time." _She muttered, her eyes darkening. Cal muffled a laugh, resulting in Connie digging a sharp elbow into his side.

"If he doesn't lay off you after that then point him out to me, I'll sort him out for you." The doctor grinned, cracking his knuckles. Grace giggled slightly, her face relaxing. Connie smiled, but that quickly turned to a frown when she realised what her boyfriend had said.

"You will do nothing of the sort Dr Knight." She scolded. "You're an adult, you should know better."

"Yeah well, some kids just don't learn do they. But I'll be good, I promise." He reassured her before winking at Grace. She grinned again.

The conversation reached a lull, and Connie knew it was now time to tell her daughter about the little life growing inside of her. Her stomach slowly began to fall as she cleared her throat.

"Before you go, darling, there's just one more thing we need to talk about. Well, I need to tell you then we can talk about- us three, actually."

Cal could tell how nervous she was, and he gently placed his hand on hers and rubbed her thumb gently.

"Deep breaths." He whispered, eyes flickering to Grace who looked half confused and half disgusted.

"I need to tell you…that…well, I'm having another baby." She said slowly, unable to meet her daughter's gaze. Beside her, Cal could feel her trembling.

There was silence whilst Grace processed what she'd just been told.

"You're…pregnant, again?" She said eventually, her voice revealing no trace of her current emotion. Connie nodded, finally able to look up. The girl was frowning.

"And, _you're_ the dad, right?" Her voice was almost accusing as she looked to Cal. He nodded too.

"Ok. Australia?" She was beginning to get her head around things now, with the fog in her brain slowly disappearing. Connie raised her eyebrows.

"At your age you're meant to think the stalk delivers babies." She remarked. Grace rolled her eyes.

"Was it?"

"Possibly. That's none of your business."

"So that's a yeah then."

"Fine, yes. Any more questions?" The tall brunette was beginning to feel her eyes grow heavy. It had been a long day, and waking up on the sofa that morning didn't help things.

"Just one. And it's not for you." She said clearly, looking instead straight into Cal's eyes. He smiled.

"Fire away."

Grace sat up straighter. "Do you love my mum enough to stick around?"

The doctor found himself, for the first time in his life, shocked into silence. Connie's mouth promptly fell open and her eyes widened.

"Grace!" She exclaimed, slightly horrified at how blunt the question was.

"What?" She replied indignantly, "Last time you found out you were having a baby, David left and the baby died. I just don't want that to you happen again. I don't want you to be so sad like you were then." Her voice cracked slightly and she bit her lip.

Her mother relaxed slightly, though her eyes saddened. She shook free of Cal's grasp and held her arms out for her daughter in silence. Grace climbed onto her knee and rested her head on Connie's shoulder.

"You were only 6, I'm surprised you remember that." The clinical lead said softly, tucking the girl's hair behind her ear. "David-" she paused slightly and sighed, "he was a bad man, but it wasn't his fault that the baby died. It's just something that happens. I don't expect you to understand now, but when you're much older I'll explain it all to you. Alright?"

The girl nodded before leaning up and kissing Connie on the cheek.

"Night mummy." She whispered, hesitating before she got up. "Night baby."

A small smile passed the woman's lips as she watched her daughter stand and move towards the door. Just before she left however, Cal called out.

"Grace?"

She turned around and blinked expectantly.

"Yes." He said simply. It took the girl but a few seconds to figure out what he was talking about, but when she did a huge smile spread across her face.

"Good. Night Cal."

"Night Gracie."

And with that she left, shutting the door behind her.

"She took that much better than I thought she would." The woman commented, the relief flooding her body. However just as the doctor went to speak, Connie held her hands up.

"No questions," she sighed, predicting what he was going to say, "just listen to me." After getting no response, Connie turned to face him better and started talking.

"About 4 years ago I started going out with a man called David Houston. We had been together around half a year when I found out I was pregnant- and the child was his. I told him, as you do. However, in the 6 whole months we were together, he failed to tell me he was a married man. So naturally he broke it off and fled. I never saw him again. The heartbreak and stress of picking up the pieces was too much for the baby to handle. He didn't make it."

Cal didn't know what to say.

"Connie," he breathed, "I had no idea-"

She cut him off.

"Don't, Cal. Sympathy just makes the memory worse. I've told you now, so there's no need to ever bring it up again. Is that clear?"

He nodded. "Crystal."

"Good." She said, satisfied before yawning. "It's bed time I think- I'm exhausted."

"Right back at you. You go on up first and brush your teeth, I'll go get us some water."

"You're a star." Connie smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips before getting up. "I just wish you were this brilliant at work, it would make my job one hell of a lot easier."

"Oh har har." He said sarcastically, picking up a cushion and throwing it at her retreating figure.

"I hope you're going to pick that up!" Was the last thing he heard before she ascended the stairs and went into the bathroom. Grinning, the man put the cushion back, got some water and put the alarm on before following his girlfriend to bed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for not updating last week guys- been busy! **

**This is bit of a short chapter- I don't seem to have much inspiration/motivation to write this fic at the minute :/ **

**Hope you like it anyway! -Sophie x**

* * *

The following day was absolute mayhem. An outbreak of some mysterious tropical disease at St James' meant all their non-contaminated patients were transferred to Holby. The wards were swamped and the ED even more so, and it didn't help that Cal was taking his consultancy exams either, so they were a doctor down.

"Right Lily, Robyn- you're in charge of diagnosing, moving and discharging in resus. Ethan, Zoe, Lofty, Rita and Dylan can take cubicles, get as many people moved as possible, and Charlie and Tess can take triage with me." Connie declared to her staff gathered around the reception desk. "Noel, Louise and Big Mac; you can sort reception. Max, you can circulate until you're needed. Alright? Let's go."

…

Each staff member stayed on their feet for the next 5 hours, unable to take a break or their lunch due to the huge influx of disgruntled and panicked patients. They were even a full hour late clocking off that evening, but were very relieved when the cool air hit their faces in the car park.

"Want to come over to mine? We can go over those reception venues you were on about last week?" Ethan asked as Lily slipped her arm through his.

"Sounds good." She nodded. "Will Cal be going to Connie's?"

"Probably. He seems to be spending half his life there nowadays. Not, that I'm complaining." He flashed her a grin as they got in the car. "It's nice to have some peace and quiet, I was sick to death of hearing video game noises coming from his room."

"I can imagine." Lily replied, clipping in her seatbelt as the engine roared to life. "It feels weird, the fact we're going to get married then I'm going to be an aunt. It's all coming very fast."

"I was thinking that you know. We're going to be Uncle Ethan and Auntie Lily in a matter of months. It's going to be great, I love children. Not babies so much, they seem to see me as a vomiting target most of the time, but toddlers are brilliant; they're so funny. What about you?"

"I don't know, I've not had much experience with children." She sighed as they reached the motorway. "I was an only child in a very small family. I didn't have any cousins or friends with siblings."

"Really? Lucky you. I had twin cousins, Charlotte and Alice. They were identical and kept pretending to be each other, it drove us round the bed when they came to visit. Have you seen Harry Potter?" He asked abruptly, and Lily blinked a few times.

"Um, yes. Why?"

"Think of them like Fred and George." He said, nearly shuddering. "Only ten times more troublesome."

The junior doctor smiled at the thought.

"I loved Harry Potter. Hermione was my favourite character. I could relate to her a lot."

"Really? She was mine too. Her or Neville. I thought of myself as a combination of the two." He nodded, pulling onto his road and pulling up outside their block of flats.


End file.
